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April’s first week of detoxifying

Dinosaur kale. Roma tomatoes. Carrots. Spinach. Apples. Lentils. Onions. Celery. Chives. Pears. Yogurt. Brown rice. Parsley. Bananas. Broccoli. All organic. All delicately placed in my reusable mesh produce bags for their first time ever being used, the same bags that I found removed from my car outside of my smashed-in back window three months ago. It felt nice to finally use those bags and I’m so glad whoever broke my car window didn’t decide they needed them for their own produce purchases.

Making a conscious choice to finally use those mesh bags instead of the typical plastic ones is something I have been meaning to do for a very long time. Even though I have had the bags for months, for some reason I never got around to using them. I knew they were better for the environment but taking that extra effort to actually remember them just didn’t happen. I had the tools, I just didn’t act.

Until now. Coincidentally, I used the bags for my purchase of all the vegetables and fruits I would be needing for something else I had been wanting to do for a long time: a detox.

I used to babysit for a raw vegan woman who would talk about the benefits of eating non-processed and raw foods. She also had all sorts of interesting books that would fill my head with ideas that maybe my constant headaches and digestion problems are caused by more than just the way my body works. The past month I have had a dramatic increase of headaches, probably because of my body slowly adapting to going to school full time and taking classes like Algebra that keep me always searching for the elusive “X”.

Because of those headaches and knowing that I could use all the help I could get for my weight loss, I decided to utilize some more things I have had for years: two books by Linda Page, one is called “Cooking for Healthy Healing” and the other is “Healthy Healing“. Both books are a bit old but the logic of a detox remains the same over the years: Eliminate the potential toxins entering your system and eating specific foods that will help expel the toxins already in your system.

When you think of the word “detox”, you might automatically think of something like the Master Cleanse , a hardcore and dedicated cleaning process where you consume lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup for a period of time. My detox is not that hardcore. I’d love to be able to try something like that but until I have a full span of time where I don’t have to do anything but sit around a house watching reruns of Community and sitting online, that kind of detox just isn’t going to happen for me.

The basic idea of a detox according to Linda Page is to eliminate all the processed foods from your diet and eat and drink foods that will help your body perform at it’s best.

For example, today I made something called “Potassium Essence Broth” that was created for almost every health problem and has a substantial amount of minerals and electrolytes, including a nice 713mg of potassium per serving! That’s nearly twice the amount of potassium as in a banana and will help get me to the recommended amount of 4.7mg a day!

Of course this broth didn’t do much to keep me satisfied so I also enjoyed my first glass of homemade vegetable juice ever! I was so proud of my juice and amazed because it was actually quite delicious. I combined two carrots, two tomatoes, half a red peppers, a small handful of spinach, kale, and parsley along with a clove of garlic and some sprigs of chives. The results were a zesty and garlicky party on my tongue.

There are a few other recipes I made today to get me through the week, including a “macrobiotic soup” that is supposed to help me with stress exhaustion and weight control. It’s made with wonderful carbs like lentils, brown rice, and split peas but sadly lacks immense wonderful flavor. Too bad.

Have any of you ever done a detox before? Would you ever do one? How long do you think I’ll last without a Red Bull or Coke? The goal is to get through this week and once I hit Sunday, I’ll ease up a bit and let myself have some caffeine. Maybe by then my cravings for that liquid nectar of the Gods won’t be so intense.

Until next time, enjoy your Monday and I hope we all have a healthy week!

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11 thoughts on “April’s first week of detoxifying”

My niece and nephew showed me the documentary “Fat sick and nearly dead” in the holidays and I was amazed at the power of a good juice detox! Unfortunately juices do not go down my band. I don’t know why they don’t like each other, but they don’t, but my partner made some gorgeous juices from the website. Good luck with seeing out the week!

Those recipies sound delicious! I believe that once you have figured out a lifestyle that is healthy, detox becomes unnecassary. People go from one extreme to another. I don’t drink soda or redbull. Drinking water is my everyday habbit and I only eat junk during parties or holidays. Everyday, however, I eat a balanced diet. I think people need to shift their focus from doing a major cleanse for a week to eating a balanced diet as a lifestyle change and sticking to this habit for the rest of their lives. Afterall, if you cleanse your body, only to go back to the same unhealthy habits, you have just waisted your time.
There is a lot of hype around juicing. Honestly, I think its a waste of time. Whole fruits and vegatables are very good for you. Why spend all of this extra time taking out the fiber? Fiber is a necassary nutrient that everyone needs and most gastrointestinal problems are caused from lack of fiber. When we juice, we take out the fiber. Also, taking the fiber out of whole vegatables will make the sugar go straight to your blood. This is why most people experience a sugar high when they drink juice. People say it is due to the cleansing properties but it is really from the sugar rush. If you really want to cleanse, eat a salad. You get the goodness of the vegatables and the cleansing properties of the fiber. My number one rule, is the least processed the better and juicing is a form of processing. Not that there is anything wrong with treating yourself to some delicious juice now and again. Its much better than coke or redbull.
A while back, I interviewed a registered dietician to help explain the truth behind most popular diets. What she has to say is very down to earth. You can read it here: http://heroestraining.com/?p=461

I’m only doing the juicing as an afternoon snack and I’ll probably stick with just making my vegetable combo drink since I’m only doing fruits in the morning. Plus, it’s expensive to throw so many vegetables into ONE drink! I thought about the giant salad I would have gotten out of that first glass of veggie juice! And that’s why the juicing isn’t the main part of this detox.

This detox isn’t just a break I’m doing from a typically unhealthy lifestyle. I typically eat mostly whole unprocessed foods and have been doing so for years.. my biggest bad habit to break are the red bulls and sodas and even still, those aren’t an every-day occurance. Maybe the soda once was, but not the red bulls.

Obviously juicing has worked for many, many people and if it’s what can make them get passionate about weight loss – than why not?

98% of the diets we do in America today are some fad diet whether it’s Atkins, South Beach, Slow Carb, Paleo, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig… but the reason they’re so popular is because they worked for people at some point. So why tell people that they shouldn’t do that if it’s been helping them reach their goal? Obviously they all have little aspects about them that aren’t 100% nutritionally sound but the people on these diets have lived a life that obviously wasn’t nutritional at all or else we wouldn’t be in this weight loss boat together.

I think any progress is better than no progress at all, be it juicing or only eating junk at parties.

I don’t know if this is on your okay list or not, but sauteed kale with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cayenne, and a pinch of sea salt is DELICIOUS! And if you want a healthy, filling dip for veggies, put the sauteed kale in a food processor with a cup of cooked white beans, and voila! Tasty, filling, good-for-you stuff!